2 h. ago Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy claims ‘important success’ as troops push back on Russian advances

President says Ukrainian forces in east have reclaimed 160 sq km of land and cleared another 170 sq km as counteroffensive ‘achieving results’. What we know on day 1,304See all our Russia-Ukraine war coverageUkrainian forces have pushed back some of the gains Russia made over the summer, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said, calling the operation an “important success” after months of battlefield setbacks. The Ukrainian president said his troops had reclaimed 160 sq km (62 sq miles) of land near the eastern coalmining town of Dobropillia, where Russia pierced Ukraine’s defences in August. Russia did not immediately comment on the claims. Zelenskyy said after meeting troops in the eastern Donetsk region on Thursday that his army was “achieving results” in an ongoing counteroffensive there. In addition to reclaiming the 160 sq km, Ukrainian forces had “cleared” Russian troops from an additional 170 sq km of land but had not yet formally taken the territory, he said in a video address. Zelensk...

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51 h. ago Ukraine war briefing: Russian oil system struggling under Ukrainian attacks – report

Transneft has told producers they may have to cut their output because of attacks on pipelines and ports, Reuters says. What we know on day 1,302Russia’s oil pipeline monopoly Transneft has warned producers they may have to cut output following Ukraine’s drone attacks on critical export ports and refineries, Reuters has reported, citing industry sources. Ukrainian drones have frequently hit Russia’s oil plants, cutting refining capacity by up to a fifth, and damaged ports including Ust-Luga and Primorsk, Ukrainian military officials and Russian industry sources have said. Ukraine’s military said on Tuesday it had struck the Saratov oil refinery in Russia during an overnight attack.Transneft, which handles more than 80% of all the oil extracted in Russia, has in recent days restricted oil firms’ ability to store oil in its pipeline system, two industry sources close to Russian oil firms told Reuters. Transneft has also warned producers it may have to accept less oil if its infrastruc...

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3 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Russian court sentences Pussy Riot members in absentia to jail over war criticism

Terms of eight to 13 years handed down over a music video and a Berlin show, according to reports, as collective rejects charges as politically motivated. What we know on day 1,301See all our Russia-Ukraine war coverage Continue reading...

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9 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Russian drone alert in Poland before Belarus border closure

Warplanes scrambled after warning from Ukraine; Poland to seal border over Russian and Belarus’s ‘very aggressive’ Zapad war games. What we know on day 1,295Warplanes were scrambled early on Wednesday after Ukraine’s air force warned that Russian drones had entered Nato-member Poland’s airspace. “Polish and allied aircraft are operating in our airspace, while ground-based air defence and radar reconnaissance systems have been brought to the highest state of readiness,” Poland’s operational command said. The Ukrainian air force said drones were heading west and threatening the city of Zamosc in Poland. Ukrainian media reported that one was heading towards the western Polish city of Rzeszow, and said airports were being temporarily closed.Poland will close its border with Belarus on Thursday as a result of the “very aggressive” Zapad military exercises taking place in Belarus involving Russia, Donald Tusk has announced. The Polish prime minister said it was also a response to a growin...

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1 week ago Ukraine war briefing: Putin awards ‘courage’ medal to Russian general sought by ICC over alleged crimes against humanity in Ukraine

Army chief of staff Valery Gerasimov is accused of war crimes for directing attacks against civilians and civilian objects in Ukraine under an arrest warrant from the international criminal court. What we know on day 1,294See all our Russia-Ukraine war coverage Continue reading...

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1 week ago Ukraine war briefing: Trump says ready for more Russia sanctions

US treasury secretary foreshadows oil tariffs in cooperation with Europe; Alaska meeting gave Putin the publicity he wanted, says Zelenskyy. What we know on day 1,293Asked by a reporter at the White House on Sunday if he was ready to move to “the second phase” of sanctions targeting Russia, Donald Trump responded: “Yeah, I am.” The US president stopped short of saying he was committed to such a decision or what a second phase might entail. The White House did not immediately respond to an email on Sunday asking what steps Trump was contemplating. Trump said on Sunday night that “certain European leaders are coming over to our country on Monday or Tuesday individually” and he would also speak to Vladimir Putin soon.The US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, said on Sunday that the US and the EU could put “secondary tariffs on the countries that buy Russian oil”, pushing the Russian economy to the brink of collapse and bringing Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table. China is a major ...

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1 week ago Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy says nearly 60% of weapons are domestically made as role of drones increases

President says production of arms has already exceeded target set in July; one person killed in Russian strike. What we know on day 1,292Nearly 60% of weapons used by Ukraine’s military are domestically produced, Volodymyr Zelenskyy says, already exceeding a target he set two months ago. “During this war, Ukraine has reached the point where nearly 60% of the weapons we have, the weapons in the hands of our soldiers, are Ukrainian-made,” the Ukrainian president said on Saturday in his nightly video address. “And these are powerful weapons, with many advanced features.” In his address, he also pointed to a joint project to undertake weapons production in Denmark. The president in July called on his reshuffled government to take measures to boost production of weapons made in Ukraine to more than 50%, higher than at any other time since independence from Soviet rule in 1991.Ukraine has focused on drone production and on providing air defences to counter Russia’s intensive drone and mis...

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2 w. ago Ukraine war briefing: No action from Trump as another Putin deadline passes

US president ‘very disappointed’ in Russian ruler; Trump had promised to get Putin to negotiating table with Volodymr Zelenskyy. What we know on day 1,288Donald Trump took no apparent action at the passing of his latest deadline for Vladimir Putin to come to the negotiating table with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He was “very disappointed” in the Russian ruler, and was planning on “doing something to help people live”, said the US president, without any specifics. He was speaking on the radio show of Scott Jennings, a US conservative pundit.Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that Russia was engaged in a new troop buildup in certain sectors of the frontline and still launching strikes on Ukrainian targets. “Now we see another buildup of Russian forces in certain sectors of the front. [Putin] refuses to be forced into peace Russia continues to launch strikes. Of course, we will respond to this,” said the Ukrainian president in his nightly address.European allies are ready to contribute to po...

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2 w. ago Ukraine war briefing: US says strikes ‘cast doubt’ on Russia’s ‘desire for peace’ as Dnipropetrovsk attacked

US diplomat John Kelley tells UN security council Washington could impose sanctions on Moscow if war continues. What we know on day 1,283Ukraine’s central Dnipropetrovsk region came under a “massive attack” early on Saturday, the region’s governor said, reporting strikes in Dnipro and Pavlograd. “The region is under a massive attack. Explosions are being heard,” Sergiy Lysak wrote on Telegram, warning residents to take cover. He said overnight Russian strikes killed two people in Dnipropetrovsk, which had been largely spared from intense fighting since Russia’s 2022 invasion. Kyiv acknowledged on Tuesday that Russian troops had entered the region.The United States has warned Russia to move toward peace and meet with Ukraine or face possible sanctions at an emergency meeting of the UN security council called on Friday after missile strikes on Kyiv killed at least 23 people overnight on Thursday. US diplomat John Kelley told the meeting the strikes “cast doubt on the seriousness of Ru...

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3 w. ago Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy picks Olha Stefanishyna as ambassador to US

Ukrainian officials due in Washington on Friday; Russians short of fuel as oil refineries burn. What we know on day 1,282Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed Olha Stefanishyna, a former top cabinet minister, as Ukraine’s ambassador to the US, ending months of speculation. She takes over as ambassador from Oksana Markarova, who held the position for six years, including more than three years of full-scale war with Russia, and became a target for partisan criticism from Republicans. It was announced in July that Markarova would be replaced. Stefanishyna served in Zelenskyy’s administration as a deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, playing a major role in the country’s integration into western institutions, and as minister of justice.Zelenskyy announced his officials will meet US counterparts in New York on Friday as the Ukrainian president continues to push for a one-on-one meeting with Vladimir Putin despite Kremlin refusals. “Friday, meetings will take plac...

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3 w. ago Ukraine war briefing: Russian troops inside Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine says

Fighting under way, Ukrainian military confirms, in central oblast that is not part of Russia’s illegal annexation. What we know on day 1,281Ukraine acknowledged for the first time on Tuesday that Russia’s army had entered the Dnipropetrovsk region, a central administrative area previously spared from intense fighting. “Yes, they have entered, and fighting is ongoing as of now,” said Viktor Tregubov, a spokesperson for Ukrainian forces in Dnipro, Ukraine’s fourth-largest city. Russian forces have slowly gained ground in costly battles for largely devastated areas in eastern and southern Ukraine, normally with few inhabitants or intact buildings left.Separately, Ukraine’s military general staff rejected Moscow’s claims to have fully captured the villages of Zaporizke and Novogeorgiivka just inside Dnipropetrovsk oblast. But battlefield monitor DeepState, which has close ties to Ukraine’s military, said on Tuesday that Russia had “occupied” them and was “consolidating its positions [a...

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